The work modernization project presented today under file PE 159/25 marks a crucial step in the reconstruction of our country. Argentina has had a deteriorating labor market for years. For those who want to invest in freedom and develop, informality, barriers to production and obstacles have arisen.
Work is a natural social organizer. However, our country has been in crisis for decades. This initiative addresses this problem through a modern, simple approach compatible with an economy that requires a return to a sustainable growth path.
Our President’s message clearly expresses the abolition of all privileges that only benefit an entrenched sector of our society. These include the well-known “trial industry,” which harms both companies and employees. San Luis – the province I represent – is an eloquent example: for years it has been one of the most litigated jurisdictions in the country. For this reason, I support the need for clear rules and agreements that reduce persistent conflicts.
The project introduces precise definitions and objective criteria that provide predictability. One case is the remuneration system: taking into account clear parameters for the calculation reduces conflicts and prevents abuses that ultimately affect formal employment.
New times require the provision of tools to those who participate in the world of work to simplify work organization. In this sense, the possibility of a voluntary “hour bank” regulation is integrated and a more flexible organization of vacation time is made possible. In addition, precise guidelines will be established on sick leave, one of the aspects that is currently causing the most conflict.
The proposal also takes into account the new realities related to employment. Creates a specific framework for those working on digital platforms that guarantees their independence and avoids interpretations that distort this activity. It also positively updates the regulations on the agricultural regime and work in private homes.
Trade unions are key actors in the labor system and the project includes necessary reforms to modernize the way they work: eliminating indefinite ultra-activity and setting limits on actions that affect productivity without jeopardizing essential rights. It’s about thinking about growth and not stagnation.
The project promotes a strong incentive for registered employment. Reductions in employer contributions and a smart system of employment regulation are proposed as a real route to real employment. A bridge between informality and decent work.
Just as the Basic Law incorporated the RIGI, this law creates the RIMI, an incentive system for small and medium-sized companies that promote employment in Argentina. Accelerated depreciation and the advance of VAT for reinvestment offer a concrete boost to those who produce and create work.
All of this goes hand in hand with a clear government policy: to reduce the tax burden. Distortive internal taxes related to insurance, telephone, automobiles and transportation will be eliminated; and improvements to VAT and profits for strategic sectors will be introduced. Less taxes, more production. Less taxes, lower prices. Less taxes, more freedom.
In summary, the modernization of work proposes a cultural change: the transition from a rigid, expensive and litigious system to a system that promotes formal employment, recognizes productive diversity, protects the worker with modern tools and gives security to those who invest and create jobs without privileges. It’s not about making the right go backwards, but about making it sustainable.
Argentina needs a dynamic and competitive labor market. This project represents a significant step in this direction and deserves in-depth debate. The challenge is not to maintain a status quo that no longer works, but to build a future in which working, employing and producing are possible again; for the satisfaction of the Argentine people.
*The author is a national senator and interim president of the Senate
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